Crown copyright

Material published on the NHS Direct website is Crown copyright. It is managed and licensed by the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).

If you wish to use material from the NHS Direct website, you will need to apply to OPSI for a licence.

There are two types of content licence:

  •  a PSI click-use licence, and
  •  a Value Added click-use licence.

It is your responsibility to maintain a valid licence.

PSI Licence

Material covered by the PSI click-use licence includes Crown copyright data, such as NHS Direct corporate information. For example:

• Annual Report

• About NHS Direct information

• Telephone service information

There is no charge for the OPSI licence.

Value-Added Licence

The Value Added click-use licence applies to all other content from the NHS Direct website.

There may be a charge for the Value Added licence, depending on the type, amount and intended re-use of Crown copyright material.

If you use NHS Direct content

Content on the NHS Direct website is regularly updated.

You must ensure that you are using the most recent version of content, and that you display the date on which the content was taken from NHS Direct.

Terms of use

  • The source and date of the material must be acknowledged.
  • Every effort should be made to ensure that the material is kept up to date (We recommend quarterly updating)
  • The material must be reproduced accurately (without editing) and not in a misleading way.
  • The material must not be systematically reproduced and sold for commercial gain (this includes putting substantial portions of the content into computer systems or software products that are sold commercially).
  • The material must not be passed on or resold to other organisations.

Using the NHS Direct logo

The NHS Direct logo is Crown copyright. Logos aren't covered by OPSI licensing. The NHS Identity Guidelines state that 'the NHS logo can only be used by NHS organisations or on services and information that the NHS has had some involvement in.’ These guidelines also apply to the use of the NHS Direct logo.

Further information

If you would like to re-use Crown copyright material from NHS Direct but are unsure of which licence to apply for or how to proceed, please contact us.

Related Links

NHS links

External links